Status Quo are stranded in Moscow - and face a lengthy rail and road slog to get home as a result of the air travel crisis.

The group played two shows in Russia last week - one in St Petersburg and the other in the capital on Thursday.

But the rockers - led by Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt, who received OBEs in the New Year honours - have now been forced to plan a new route home due to the travel problems caused ash from by the Icelandic volcano.

The group's tour bus has now been dispatched from the UK and is heading to Warsaw in Poland.

Meanwhile, Rossi and co have been booked on to the first available train from Moscow to the Polish capital, which is due to leave on Tuesday morning - but will take around 24 hours to get to its destination. The band will then travel by tour bus and ferry to arrive back in the UK on Friday - a week late.

Rossi said: "We've enjoyed spending extra time in Moscow but, after all we've been through over the years, I never thought that our touring schedule would be threatened by a volcano."

Another veteran music star has also taken drastic action to get home. Steve Harley, of Cockney Rebel fame, took a 1,500 euro (£1,300) taxi ride from Frankfurt to Brussels to catch one of the extra Eurostar trains which have been laid on.

He said: "I was only supposed to here for a few hours but I've ended up having to go out shopping for socks and a toothbrush."